This invention relates generally to a wire mesh flooring system and, more specifically to a wire mesh flooring system for use in poultry egg production.
Poultry breeder operations typically utilize flooring systems to support houses for poultry providing egg production. Generally the flooring system is formed by parallel, transversely spaced apart beams consisting, for example, of 2.times.4 inch boards. Spaces are provided between the beams to allow poultry droppings to fall to the ground below the floor surface for subsequent removal. However, to provide the strength necessary to support the poultry, their houses and personnel periodically monitoring the egg production operations; and to prevent the passage of poultry eggs to the ground below, the spaces between beams must be of limited size. A typical flooring system therefore consists of 2.times.4 inch board beams spaced apart about one inch and resulting in a floor having a relatively high surface to space ratio. Accordingly, the floor surface retains substantial quantities of poultry dung which provides a source of contamination for deposited eggs and thereby causes substantial reductions in production efficiency and requirements for frequent floor cleaning. Also known are flooring systems in which wire mesh panels are supported by wooden beams. However, again the strength requirements of the flooring system necessitates extensive beam surface area which undesirably accumulates poultry droppings.
The object of this invention, therefore is to provide an improved poultry flooring system which reduces the undesirable accumulation of poultry droppings.